What is the Difference Between JSF Managed Beans and CDI Beans in Java EE Applications?

When it comes to Java EE applications, understanding the differences between JSF managed beans and CDI beans is crucial for efficient development. In a nutshell, the focus keyword 'difference between JSF managed beans and CDI beans' in Java EE applications lies in their scopes and usage within the application architecture.

JSF Managed Beans:

JSF Managed Beans are specifically tied to JavaServer Faces (JSF) technology. They act as a bridge between the view (UI) and the business logic in the application. In terms of scope, JSF Managed Beans can have different scopes such as request, session, application, etc. These beans are defined in faces-config.xml or annotated with @ManagedBean.

CDI Beans (Contexts and Dependency Injection):

CDI Beans are part of Java EE's Contexts and Dependency Injection (CDI) framework, providing more sophisticated dependency injection capabilities than JSF Managed Beans. CDI beans have broader application scope and can be used across different Java EE components. They are defined using annotations such as @Named, @RequestScoped, @ApplicationScoped, etc.

Main Differences:

• JSF Managed Beans are tied to the JavaServer Faces technology, whereas CDI Beans are part of the wider Contexts and Dependency Injection framework in Java EE.
• CDI Beans offer more sophisticated dependency injection capabilities and broader application scope compared to JSF Managed Beans.
• JSF Managed Beans can have different scopes like request, session, application, while CDI beans provide more options such as request, application, session, etc.

Understanding and leveraging the differences between JSF Managed Beans and CDI Beans will help Java EE developers design more modular, scalable, and maintainable applications.